Waking Up In Love Vegas
by Zemphyra
Summary: This is a romantic story between my own character, Kaley Evans and Greg Sanders. Kaley joins the CSI team as the latest CSI, only there's something strange about Kaley. How is she able to find evidence so easily and why is she so avoidant of Greg? Greg/OC
1. Prologue

Prologue

Kaley Evans took one last look over her Los Angeles apartment loft. The apartment loft had been an add-on the original house that her father and grandparents would continue to reside in. For Kaley she was moving on. To better things? Who could say. But she was putting this town in her 2008 red Ford Mustang coupe's rearview mirror. The car had been a gift from her grandfather on her mother's side, and Kaley could have staked her life on the fact that it was done to spite her mother's husband, whom neither Kaley nor anyone other than her mother could stand. But that was okay. In no time at all, she'd be 300 miles away from them both, starting a brand new job and hopefully basking in the brand new life that came as part of the new package.

As the car was already packed with clothes, her every day necessities, her laptop and mementos that could not be left behind nor replaced, Kaley grabbed her last piece of luggage: a pet carrier containing a very round (and very heavy) short-haired Himalayan cat named Percy, who purred and looked at her with his sky-blue eyes through contented slits thanks to the Feliway dispenser that Kaley was gracious to find actually did what it promised: calmed her feline down in what would otherwise be a very traumatic experience.

Sighing and wishing she could borrow some of Percy's contentedness, Kaley gave herself one last glance in the mirror.

Her dark brown layered hair hung loosely just past her shoulders, its natural highlights glowing in the early morning sun. Her face had a softness to it, her father called it baby-faced and it annoyed the hell out of her that she couldn't get that roundness to ever go away. Her luminous green eyes looked solemnly back at her, uncertainty visible in their emerald depths. She could still back out, couldn't she? Could she even survive away from this place? Away from her family and friends? Kaley couldn't even remember the last time she'd been away from the loft for more than a night. In fact she didn't think she ever had. She'd certainly never been outside of Los Angeles before. The fine, natural lines of her eyebrows furrowed. No, she wouldn't back out. She'd already given her word. And her word was her bond.

_One last glance, _she thought to herself. _One more and then I __**have **__to __leave. _

Her eyes rose back to the mirror, and she checked her outfit: the outfit that had taken hours upon hours of um-ing and ah-ing browsing through multiple stores to finally find something she could be satisfied with. Finally she had decided on a pair of Nanette Lepore's black trousers that accentuated her curves just enough so that she was still job appropriate, a cranberry-coloured shirred knot front V-neck top , and her favourite by far: a pair of DV by Dolce Vita Women's Sabina leather boots. The whole outfit had set her back her last month's whole pay check, but it made her feel sophisticated and she had to admit, she looked damn good, so it was money well spent.

Kaley ruffled her shirt, and looked down at the carrier.

"So this is it then, huh Percy?" she asked the cat, to which of course he gave no response. "Las Vegas, here we come…"


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N**: So I guess I've been kind of secretive which just what is up with Kaley. You'll learn a bit about it in here. Also I live in Australia and so have never been to Las Vegas, so although I do a lot of research using MapQuest and such, I'm not going to be 100% accurate.

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><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

Kaley merged her Ford Mustang onto the Las Vegas Boulevard exit 75A, and headed toward the Cashman Center. She was so grateful her father had gifted her with and installed a brand new GPS before their teary farewell, or else she was certain she would've gotten lost 3 exits ago. It'd taken 6 hours with a couple of pit stops on the way to get to this point in her journey. She was glad to see Percy was still sleeping peacefully. That Feliway dispenser had been an absolute godsend. She'd never liked having to pop pills down Percy's throat, and the vet had suggested he be tranquilised, but this was so much easier on both her and her feline companion. He was such a sweet cat, she hated to cause him any distress.

Kaley made a turn onto E-Bonanza Road. With the help of some of her father's friends who lived in Las Vegas she was able to obtain a lease at a one bedroom townhouse at Painted Desert. It would only be a ten minute drive to work if she took the I-15 S route, and fifteen minutes at the most if she had to take the long way through E Charleston Boulevard. Kaley figured that since she would be on the graveyard shift at her new job traffic wouldn't be much of a problem. So first she would drop off Percy and get him familiarised with his new living quarters, and then she'd make the quick ten minute drive to her very first night on the job. As she turned onto South Decatur Boulevard, she easily spotted Painted Desert.

Kaley parked her mustang into one of the free parking spots near the area marked "Reception" with ease. She quickly turned off the ignition, grasped Percy's carrier in one hand and closed the car door behind the both of them. It was then that she was able to get her first real look at Painted Deserted.

The grass was freshly maintained, cut just to the right length and type of green that Kaley figured required regular sprinklers. That, or it was that special hybrid grass Kaley had been hearing so much about lately that didn't need much maintenance but would stay that fresh green all year-round. There were plenty of shady trees that looked like willows. Kaley had always loved willows. They just looked so carefree as they blew their long fuzzy limbs around in a light breeze.

The townhouses and villas were a soft brown, with a darker brown to outline the stairs that led to the front door. The windows had arched awnings above them to keep out the hot Las Vegas sun. There were cement paths amongst the lush grounds leading to each villa and townhouse, a humble way of saying "please keep off the grass" and at the same time giving easy access to each person's home.

Kaley strolled with Percy's carrier in tow to the reception area. As she opened the glass door a small bell gave a little tinkle announcing her arrival and a short, squat woman smiled at her from behind the counter. The lady was in her mid-forties with flaming red-hair that lashed out behind her in waves like an angry fire. Her lips were painted fire-engine red, and her manicure looked freshly done, especially by the way she held the reception phone to her ear with her palm rather than her fingers. She quickly whispered something in the phone that sounded like, "gotta go, sweetie, new blood just arrived", and gave Kaley the most inviting smile she'd ever seen.

"What can I do for you, darl?" the lady asked, with a slight twang.

Kaley hated being called darl. It made her feel like a little kid. Sure, this woman was probably twice her age, but Kaley sure as hell wasn't anyone's "darl".

"I rang this morning to let you know I'd be arriving today, and to pick up my key," Kaley replied, choosing to ignore the the "darl"part of the woman's comment. "I spoke to a lady named Jules".

The lady laughed at that. "That'd be me. So you must be Miss Evans".

Kaley nodded, and the lady asked. "You got some ID on you, cause I gotta sight it and all that. You know, dot the I's, cross the t's."

Kaley nodded and placed Percy's carrier down on the linoleum floor pulling out a wallet-sized purse from her pocket as she did. She handed Jules her California driver's license and watched as Jules gave it a quick once over before handing it back.

Jules typed something on the computer and waited. The computer must've been an old one, and very slow because there was a long awkward silence before Jules looked down at the carrier and asked, "What ya got in there, love?"

Ugh, another thing she hated being called. Again, Kaley chose to ignore Jules. For all she knew, this was how they did things in Nevada, and if that were so, she'd better start getting used to it.

"My cat," Kaley said simply, placing her wallet back in her pocket and picking up the carrier. "I applied to have a cat when I first inquired about the lease and the owner said it was no problem".

Jules nodded. "No problem. Just gotta make sure it's definitely a cat. Had some guy try to bring in 12 foot python once. In a carrier too. Scared me half to death." She shuddered at that. "Never making that mistake again".

Kaley felt the first tug of a smile at her lips. She brought Percy's carrier up to Jules' eye level so she could see that he was most definitely a cat.

"Percy's no trouble. He's an inside-cat only. Not destructive at all. He can be a little bit clumsy, but that's about it," Kaley told Jules, her smile widening as she reminisced about the many times Percy had literally rolled off Kaley's LA wardrobe which he would often use as a bed.

Jules stroked Percy's head through the carrier bars. "What a little dumplin'" she coo-ed.

Before Kaley could tell Jules how Percy had once been half the size he was now because his previous owners forgot to feed him half the time, the computer beeped and Jules turned to the screen.

"Deposit's been paid, as well as the first two months up front. All documents signed. Lease is for 12-months… You'll be in Number 7."

As Jules went to get the keys, she called over her shoulder. "The movers have already been and gone. Could've sworn one of them was a decorator. Seemed the type if you get my drift," Her nose wrinkled as she brought a key with the number 7 etched into the metal. "Snappy little thing he was. Barking orders left and right, calling the movers incompetent when they couldn't see his 'vision'. And with those freshly manicured nails, no way was he a mover".

Kaley felt a laugh bubble up from between her lips. "Klaus…" she told Jules. "He's kind of OCD, but honestly harmless."

Jules didn't look too convinced at that. "Reminded me of Mr Grayson's chihuahua, Pluto, in number 2," she sneered. "Had several complaints about that dog, just warning you. He might seem all tiny and sweet but he's got the temperament of a pitbull. Most of the tenants here would like to see the dog meet the same fate as the planet."

Kaley rose an eyebrow humorously. "They want the dog Pluto to no longer be scientifically recognised as a dog?"

Jules blinked long and hard at Kaley, then with a dismissive gesture shoved the key roughly into Kaley's hand and muttered, "Place comes with a lock-up garage. I'm sure you can find it yourself. I have to get back to work".

_Wow_, Kaley thought as she watched Jules hit the redial button on her phone. _Obviously unable to distinguish between humour and insult. Better watch that._

As the call connected and Jules flew into a flurry of what counted for gossip in these parts, Kaley lifted Percy up and the two of them made the short trip between the reception area to Townhouse Number 7.

She stood at the door for a moment before fitting the key into the lock.

"Here goes nothing," she muttered to Percy, inhaling deeply and counting to five before letting the air escape between her lips.

At the last of her exhalation, she turned the key and pushed open the door to her new accommodation for at least the next 12 months.

Kaley's initial sight consisted of a set of stairs leading first upwards and then to the right. From her front door viewpoint she found that the living room was to her immediate right. A L-shaped lounge faced a huge LCD television that must have been bracketed to the wall. A beautiful dark mahogany table was positioned against the wall underneath the television. There was nothing on the table but Kaley was already envisioning her pewter cat statues collection and the diamond and gold clock that her grandmother had given her as a gift warming present taking up the empty space nicely.

In the corners beside the table sat two large, lush Japanese plants, each with golden hand-painted Japanese themed pot. The coffee table was made of the same dark mahogany as the table that sat under the television. It had two large panes of black marble glass fitting into its frame, and the edges of the table had been smoothed back to ensure that no one could hurt themselves on any sharp edges.

Kaley let her hand drag slowly across the L-shaped lounge. It was a suede type of material, grey in colour. Klaus had placed 6 cushions along the length of the lounge. 3 were the same grey as the lounge while the other 3 were a soft brown that Kaley realised were the same colour as the soft, lush carpet.

On the very right side wall, Klaus had added some artwork. 3 mosiac pieces that Kaley couldn't exactly identify but that she still really liked the contrast of. The wall to the front of the house held a huge window with the same matching soft brown vertical blinds, currently parted to give the room its natural light and ambience.

Kaley turned to the left and found herself in a joint kitchen and dining room. All of the appliances were state of the art, stainless steel. The counter tops were black marble granite, which matched the oven perfectly. A heating vent hung securely above the main centre countertop just above a fitted stove, and above the other countertops that lined most of the kitchen side wall were streaked pine cupboards. More vertical blinds were parted showing a much smaller window that the one in the living room framed in dark mahogany which gave an outside view of a large willow and just beyond that Kaley could just make out the Painted Desert public pool. Kaley swivelled her head towards what class as the dining area. The table top was beautiful, rectangular in shape and polished black glass with 3 small silver squares in its centre. It was held up by a V-shaped stainless steel frame that reminded Kaley of the sturdy branches of a tree. The frame resided upon a smaller version of the table top only this frame had only one large silver square in its centre, with 4 stoppers in each corner to keep the table in place. Four black chairs with leather cushioning and backrests that stretched to the floor were neatly pushed in with a pair on chairs on two of the longer sides of the table. The outer frame and chair legs were made from stainless steel. At first glance they looked to be rather uncomfortable, but as Kaley closed the front door behind her before making her way over to the closest chair and sitting down she was surprised by just how comfortable it was. There wasn't a lot of room in the dining area, but Klaus had managed to at least fit this elegant table and a matching set of shelves in the allotted space. Again Klaus had left these shelves bare too. Kaley knew this was his way of giving Kaley a way of personalising her space. For this she was grateful.

Sighing gently, Kaley perched Percy on the table top and opened the carrier door. Percy became alert rather quickly. Without a hesitation, his big bottom wriggled and he pounced out of the carrier and onto the table top, his little feet quickly padding over the table top and leaving little sweaty paw prints over the pristine surface. Kaley was overcome by the urge to giggle. Klaus would have a heart attack if he saw Percy defiling his 'vision' of perfection. Percy was blissfully unaware and with his curiousity running on high, he bounded off the table and flew around the length of kitchen and living room before racing off upstairs.

_For a pudgy cat he sure can move when he wants to, _Kaley thought as she watched Percy's swinging tummy pouch rock from side to side as he ran and then vanish along with the tail end of him as bounded away to explore.

With less energy and enthusiasm Kaley picked herself up off the chair and slowly made her way upstairs. At the top she saw that there was a single door to her right with an open combined bedroom and study to her left. She heard scratching in the bathroom and figured that Percy had located his litter tray, finally able to relieve himself after what had been his longest trip in his lifetime. As she stepped through the open door, she laughed at the expression on Percy's face. Kaley was sure that had he be human right about now he would be voicing how good it felt, especially judging by the amount of liquid he was vacating. As Percy finished up, and scratched around a bit in his litter to cover up the evidence, Kaley took in her surroundings. The walls were a golden colour here, one of them divided by a door to form 2 rooms. The first room was the one she stood in, and it was a bathroom. The second room was a separated toilet which she saw had a second entrance to it from her study. Beside the toilet were two frosted windows with intricate black designs of a tree surrounded by several large butterflies. There was a large leafy fern in a gold pot beside the toilet on the left side, and a golden toilet paper holder rod that held a dozen rolls of toilet paper on the right. Directly in front of that, bracketed to the wall was a golden toilet paper holder in the design of a cat with the toilet paper professionally folded like one would see in a fancy hotel. This made Kaley smile. The old Klaus would never had bought anything like that, and yet Kaley knew by the way the toilet paper had been tucked in it was definitely Klaus who had picked it out. Kaley knew that it symbolised that he knew how hard this transition was for her, and it was to be a remembrance that she was never alone.

Kaley closed her eyes for a moment to let the emotions past. She'd cried enough during all the farewells and driving along interstates. She couldn't start again. Instead she opened her eyes and looked around the bathroom. Her eyes first settled on the tiles. They were pure white, edged in gold. The western wall had almost completely been turned into a vanity with a giant mirror framed in mahogany at least 4 foot in length. Below the mirror was a white faucet and sink with gold trimmings. Gold marble surrounded the two as a countertop, and beneath was a white cabinet with several drawers, also with gold trimmings and handles.

Next to the door that she had entered through was another mahogany frosted window like the ones in the toilet on her right and a white bathtub with gold lion claw foot on her left. Its golden faucet and fixtures were secured to the wall, meaning that the water would fill at the bathtub's side. A short distance from the bathtub was a shower big enough for two people. It was pressed against the north wall, next to the toilet door with just enough room for a single potted white orchid in a gold pot. The shower itself was simply gorgeous. It was a type of oblong shape with a white porcelain base, crystal clear glass walls and framed with gold trimmings. Its fixtures were handles that were turned left or right, and the shower used one of those highly luxurious steam showerheads. Kaley couldn't wait to try it out. But looking down at her sleek gold Citizen watch, she knew there was no way that she'd be trying it out tonight. Quickly she moved to the very last room to be checked out. The walls here were painted a dark purple with a white ceiling while platinum white carpet lined the floors. Out of all of the rooms in the house, Klaus had made this one resemble her personality. A dark purple shag rug covered most of the floor. On the western wall a white computer desk with a white leather high back office chair sat next to the door that led to the toilet's second entrance. A queen-size bed sat in the middle of the room, its white frame stark against the mauve quilt cover and matching pillows. Beside either side of the bed were two bedside tables, each with a white lotus blossom shaped lamp. Above the headboard 4 canvasses had been painted with a purple flurry of feathers like pieces of a jigsaw now pieced together. A large window framed white with a settee placed underneath sat at the eastside of the townhouse, its purple vertical blinds parted to reveal the fading afternoon light. The last two things in the room were against the southern wall: a large 3-door white wooden wardrobe and a Hemnes dressing table with a mirror and small purple table stool framed with white legs.

So this was to be it for the next 12 months. Well Kaley had to admit they'd really pulled out the stops for this one. Designer furniture and one of the greatest decorators of the 21st Century, Klaus Filiger. Anything she needed, anything she wanted was at the end of a phone call. She'd never have to pay a single dime for anything. Most would kill for a job like this. But that was Kaley Evans. Kaley Evans wasn't trained for this. Kaley Evans didn't deal with people. And that was the exact reason why Kaley Evans had been chosen. Because she was the least likely to be expected to be a part of this. She would be undetectable.

Kaley thought about the implications of being undetectable. As a multitude of thoughts cascaded through her brain she trudged her way downstairs. Maybe if she got some of her things out of the car and packed away, it might shift the anxious feeling that had settled in her stomach. As her hand touched the doorknob she froze – something was different. She swiftly turned, her eyes scoping as much as she could. It wasn't hard to see the difference: a man in a suit sat with his back to her with a medium size box set out on the table in front of him as he sifted through a bunch of papers stapled together. Percy's carrier had been set aside in the corner of the room.

Kaley shifted her weight. Damnit, she'd forgotten to lock the door, and on her first day too.

"Hello, Kaley,"the man in the suit said. His voice was gravelly yet there was a great amount of fondness in his salutation.

"Hey, John," Kaley replied, rubbing her neck in meek embarrassment. "Sorry about the door. Never had to lock up back home. Guess I need to make it my number one priority".

John nodded. "Las Vegas is nothing like that little rural town you were living in back in California. There's a lot riding on your ability to blend in."

He gestured to the box on the table. "Housewarming gift from Klaus. Have a seat, won't you. I'm almost excited to see what he hasn't already included in his eclectic decorating."

Kaley crossed the room to where John was sitting and took the seat next to him, turning the chair so that she faced him rather than the back door. Her hands claimed the box and she carefully opened it, sliding out her "housewarming gift".

Kaley took a sharp intake of air. "Wow," she exclaimed, her fingers running over her new prize. It was a vase, made of crystal with intricate weavings of what could either be flowers, vines or leaves.

John chuckled at her delight. "Versace Arabesque if I'm not mistaken. He doesn't give those out lightly so try not to let Percy too close. Those things are expensive to say the least".

Kaley nodded, swallowed hard and placed the vase on the second square so that it sat directly centre of the table. She nodded towards the stapled mass of papers he was still holding. "What are those?"

"Oh, these are yours," John said simply. "Lady with fire for her hair in reception told me to give them to you. Basically tells you all the rules and regulations, the facilities… If you didn't know laundry room is in the block just beside Unit 1a. No cost to you, just bring your own detergent and basket. Oh, and you can't leave your washing unattended. Of course I can do you one better and Sal will wash your clothes whenever you need it. With your workload you might never have the time to be sitting on your ass waiting for some damn machine to finish."

Sal was John's wife. They'd been married 42 years, had 4 children and basically treated Kaley like she was their fifth.

Kaley looked John firmly in the eyes. "I don't want to put either of you out," she said. "I'm 24-years-old. Gotta learn to grow up sometime."

John patted her leg reassuringly. "Just because you're 24, don't mean you're just gonna be left to the coyotes. We're here for you," he promised. "You've got a big job ahead of you. That's gonna be taking almost all of your time. You've never even seen a dead body, and now you're gonna be seeing them every day-"

"Night…" Kaley corrected him.

John chuckled. "Trust me you'll be seeing them night, day, rain, shine, twilight, any bloody light. Graveyard shift can mean anywhere from midnight to midday. Least you're young. Old bastards like me; graveyard shift ends up getting to ya. Actually don't think anyone who works graveyard shift's quite right in the head".

Kaley seemed relieved at that. At least maybe they wouldn't notice that she had no idea what the hell she was doing.

John pulled out a manila folder from beneath the pile of stapled masses. He opened it and handed Kaley what appeared to be her job contract. She skimmed quickly over it.

'Kaley Lana Evans to report to CSI nightshift manager Gil Grissom on 10/04/08 at 18:00 to retrieve CSI Level 2 status, and all corresponding documentation and/or precise particulars appropriate to equivalent CSI Level.

There was more to the letter. A welcome, a salary package, terms and conditions of employment and a warning of suspension or termination if she didn't meet those terms and conditions. But that first part was all that mattered. In half an hour she would be a CSI. All her documentation and work history was faked. Like John said she'd never even seen a dead body. She'd been through several simulations and that was it. In her resume it said that she was a specialist in the field of zoology and human behaviour. The truth was that she had a gift, an ability. And while she was prepared to use those abilities for good there were people like her out there with similar abilities who would use them for evil. To create crimes that not evil CSIs could solve.

Which was how she came to be in this situation in the first place. More and more of her kind were resorting to using their skills to murder what they felt were inferior creatures. To the CSIs who investigated these murders they would find no evidence. No prints, no DNA, nothing that they could tie to the perpetrator.

But Kaley could. Because her senses were extraordinary. They were off the grid of normality. She could smell, see, taste, hear and feel things no other human could… that those with certain special abilities weren't even able to.

Not only were her senses heightened but so were her physical abilities. Call it evolution, but she was faster, stronger, more resilient, and much more alert than any mere human.

So although she had no real CSI training behind her she could do this job. And very soon she'd be out there demonstrating exactly what she could do.

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><p><strong>AN: **As stated previously this was part of a dream I had. I know CSI is based in reality, and some fans might get peeved with me adding a somewhat fantasy-based idea. I guess some minds just live in the clouds =P. Please Rate and Review.


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